Schwartz, Joseph 1828-1917

SCHWARTZ, SCHWARZ, MEYER, FARRELL, GRUNBACHER

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 5/20/2021 at 17:18:38

Joseph Schwartz died at his home Friday morning after a short illness. Mr. Schwartz was an old resident here and quite widely known. The funeral was held Monday morning from the Catholic Church, interment taking place in the cemetery south of town. A large following of old friends and neighbors gathered to pay their respects to the departed.

Among those from out of town were noticed John Putz and wife and Mrs. Amling, of Edgewood; Mike Farrell and Frank Farrell, of Dubuque; Geo. Rodemeyer and wife and Miss Ella Rodemeyer, of Elkader; John Balls, Mrs. Barron and Mrs. Flaherty, of Elkport.

We are at this time without further data on Mr. Schwartz' life, but hope to be able to furnish them next week. The community extends sympathy to the sorrowing family and relatives.

~Register and Argus, Thursday, February 1, 1917; pg 3 (Littleport column)

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The late Joseph Schwartz, of whose death we wrote briefly last week, was born July 26, 1828, in the province of Bavaria, Germany, and came o this country in the early part of 1857, after being on the ocean thirty-five days.

As a young man he served seven years in the German army before starting for the United States. After reaching this country he journeyed westward, stopping for a time at Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Cleveland, and finally landed at East Dubuque, and this at a time before there were any railroads in this part of the country.

From there he took passage in a boat and came north to Clayton, Iowa, and finally landed at Elkader, Iowa, where his brother-in-law, Joseph Meyer, conducted a meat market.

Mr. Schwartz was married at Elkader in 1859 by the first parish priest of that place, a Rev. Father McGuinness. That same year he began farming and the next year he bought a farm in Volga township, which was his home for fifty years. Seven years ago he sold the farm and moved to Littleport, which has been his home until his death. Thus he lived in one township for fifty-seven years and was one of the oldest settlers in this section.

Mr. Schwartz was a man of honor and integrity and well thought of by all who had known him over this long period of residence amongst them. This fact was demonstrated by the large gathering of relatives and friends who followed all that was mortal of this good man to his last resting place in St. Joseph's cemetery [sic] south of town.

~Register and Argus, Thursday, February 8, 1917; pg 3 (Littleport column)

*Burial is in Sacred Heart cemetery, Littleport, not St. Joseph's cemetery.

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The subject of this sketch was born on July 26, 1828, in Obergrunhoff, Ettenbaiern, in the province of Bavaria, Germany. He was the son of Michael and Maria Schwarz, and was the last survivor of his family and also lived to be the oldest in that family.

He had two brothers and five sisters; three of his sisters were sisters of charity, one sister was married to Francisas Grunbacher, and died in 1897. One sister was never married. Joseph*, his youngest brother, died in the army in 1885. Mr. Schwarz belonged to a devoted Christian family.

His father owned what was considered a large farm in the fatherland, 160 acres of that fine soil. Under a peculiar rule in Bavaria at that time the oldest in the family got the homestead rights by 50 per cent or one-half.

Mr. Schwarz served as a soldier in the German army for seven years. He left the fatherland on March 23rd, 1857, setting sail on the ship 'Erzang', via Havre, France, for the port of New York with a number of comrades, and after thirty-five days of ocean voyage arrived at Castle Garden in the port of New York. He often spoke of the ocean voyage as being a very stormy and severe one - day after day the storms drove them backwards. He and other comrades journeyed westward, stopping for some time in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago.

He arrived at [Dunle--], Ill., now East Dubuque. There were no railroads at Dubuque at that time and it was but a mere village. After remaining at Dubuque a month he journeyed by boat up the great Father of Waters as far as the village of Clayton, and from there he went to Elkader, arriving in June. A brother of Mrs. Schwarz was conducting a meat market and boarding house at that place - possibly the first meat market in Elkader. This was Joseph Meyer, better known familiarly to the old settlers as "Joe Butcher."

Here Mr. Schwarz worked for some time and on March 25th, 1859, was married to Walburga Meyer by the Rev. Father McGuinnes, the first parish priest of Elkader. Then he rented a farm of Patrick Uriell, father of James and Michael Uriell, of Read township, between Garnavillo and Motor, which they worked for one year. In 1860 they bought a farm of Alexander Stevens, of La Salle, Ill., on which they lived for fifty years.

A son was born to them while in Read township and a daughter while in Volga township. In this half century they enjoyed blessings and prosperity and outlived all of their older neighbors. One sad event was the death of their son Joseph in western Nebraska, when Mr. Schwarz made his first trip outside of Clayton County to the bedside of his dying son. This almost broke the heart of Mrs. Schwarz, as she was so devoted to her son. On March 25th, 1909, they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

Mr. Schwarz disposed of his farm and on February 1st, 1910, they moved to Littleport, still in Volga township. thus they lived fifty-eight years in Volga township.

Joseph Schwarz was a man of iron constitution, rugged as an oak. Of all the people the writer has ever met, he never saw a man of such splendid physique, so well preserved and in such robust health; he had never had any actual sickness in his life.

He had some accidents. In 1877 he had his shoulder blade dislocated by the kick of a horse; in 1878 while stacking grain he fell off of a load of wheat and caught his arm on a sharp stick, which was protruding from the rack and severely injured his arm. He cut his foot while chopping wood in 1884, and lastly he had an accident near Elkader in 1903, when a buggy wheel broke and he was thrown out of the buggy, breaking his rib. Mr. Storbeck found him lying unconscious and helpless near the roadside on that cold December day. It was his fur coat which saved his life. He was laid up all winter.

On January 13th while taking care of his wife's wants, he contracted a severe cold, which was the cause of his death. He remained bedfast for several days and on the 16th got up, felt better and went up town. He contracted more cold, which sent him to bed on January 20th, and January 26th at 5:58 a.m. he surrendered to the grim conqueror. He was conscious until the end. Two days before his death, Rev. Father J.J. Reilly, of Elkader, administered the last rites of the church - the holy sacrament of Extreme Unction.

His soul passed peaceably into the hands of Jesus; he died with a smile on his face.

He was a good citizen, of good moral character, honest as the day was long, no truer, kinder, more faithful father or more devoted Christian ever lived in Clayton County than he. He always believed in progressive ideas. He believed in the new school ideas, but he never cared for honors or for office. He was loyal to church and state, a believer in good government and in liberal laws for all the people. He was a staunch Democrat all his life, voting the Democratic ticket for fifty years. He had no time for religious bigots. He was very much interested in the European struggle and often said in the end Germany would win the struggle and starve England out. He was just as much interested in the affairs of our country and the world as any public men.

Like all of the old pioneers, he often suffered hardships. Many a load of wheat or hogs he hauled to McGregor, a distance of thirty miles, being on the road all night long in the middle of winter. He spent many a night in the vicinity of Bulls Head, now Giard. Traffic was so congested on the road to McGregor by hundreds of loads of wheat from Minnesota that they could hardly get into McGregor. Many a night he covered himself up in his sheep-lined coat and army blankets, as there were not enough tavern accommodations for all these pioneers.

All that was mortal of Uncle Joseph Schwarz was consigned to a tomb in the family lot in Sacred Heart cemetery, near the town of Littleport, on January 29th, 1917, at 11:30 a.m. amid sorrowing relatives and friends.

The pall bearers were James Sullivan, John Wiley, Michael Dinan, Louis Winch, George Meyer and J.J. Brich.

~Register and Argus, Thursday, February 8, 1917; pg 6

*The brother's name was transcribed as printed in the newspaper. It may have been a misprint unless the brothers were both named Joseph.